Compressor indicating and recording device.



l. R. BROWN.

COMPRESSOR INDICATING AND RECORDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. Isis.

1 ,256,655. Patented Feb. 19, 1918.

-Qgf A ywnwyw J. R. BROWN.

COMPRESSOR INDICATING AND RECORDING DEVICE.

APPucATloN msn 11,111.3. 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

`JOHN ROWLAND BROWN, 0F MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE OHIO BRASS COM- PANY, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

COMPRESSOR INDICATING AND RECORDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 191,8.

Application filed March 3, 1916. Serial No. 81,811.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN R. Brown, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compressor Indicating and Recording Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a mechanical device which may be attached to any Huid pressure device for indicating that a certain predetermined pressure has bCGn reached, and for recording the number of' times that the predetermined pressure has been applied to the device. The invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of the parts.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view partly in section of a device constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention and applied to a rail bond compressor; F ig. 2 is a view in elevation of an indicating and recording device; Fig. 3 is a. sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a view of the perforated strips shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a view of a rail bond compressor mechanism of which Fig. 1 is a sectional view, and Fig. 6 is a detail of a modified form of a rail bond compresser.

It has been found in the application of pressure b y means of manual application of power, that unless there is some suitable indicating and recording means, the pressure applied by the compressor is exceedingly variable and is very likely to be less than that actually required because of the physical effort which the operator must exert. This is especially true, for example, in installing rail bonds where it is necessary to compress the copper terminal of a bond into a hole in a rail, and where the electrical and mechanical efficiency of the attachment of the bond to the rail depends upon sufficient compression being applied to the bond terminal. The present invention relates to a device for perforating or marking a metal ribbon in a certain manner only when a suflicient pressure is applied to the bond. and to the device, the predetermined pressure being regulated by the composition and thickness of the metal strip and the size ot' the depression or apertures made in the meta! strip. In order to describe the construction and operation of this device it will beconsidered as applied to rail bonding mechanism, although, of course, it has a more general application. y

In the accompanying drawings, the reference numeral 6 designates generally a frame or casting of a rail bonding mechanism which is adapted to fit over a rail 7, as shown in Fig. 5, with a fixed abutment 8 at one side and a movable member 9 at the other side which bear upon the ends of a bond 10 inserted through the rail, the movable memher 9 being attached to a fluid-tight piston 11 in a suitable chamber 12. At one side of the piston it is provided with a guide 13 and a spring 14 and at the other side of the piston the chamber 12 has a tubular connection 15 which, as shown in Fig. 1, is connected to a compressor 17 having an operating handle 17 or to some suitable source of pressure supply, a by-pass 1G being provided controlled by a valve 16 for permitting fiuid from the chamber 12 to flow back to the pump or compressor 17, but as this relates only to the application of' the present invention it will not be described in detail.

Attached to the casting 6 by fastening devices 18 is a frame 19 which has a projection 20 adapted to fit in a suitable recess 21 of the casting and by reason o f packing 22 to make a fluidtight connection therewith. Adjacent the projection 2O is a recess Q3 connected by means of a hole 24 with an extension Q5 of the tubular connection 15 by which the Vfluid under compression is directed to the rail bonding device,

or to any other fluid pressure device of which it is desired to indicate and record the pressure. Disposed in the recess 23 is a plunger 26 having a packing 27 to make a fluid-tight connection in the recess. At the outer end it is provided with a rounded head 28.

Spaced from the plunger 26 is a punch 29 mounted in a punch guide 30 and adapted to cooperate with a punch die 31. Between the guide and the die isa slot 32 extending through the frame 19 in which a strip 33 (see Figs. 3 and 4) is adapted to slide. At one side of the guide 30 is a recess 34 in which a pawl 35 is seated having a spring 36 which tends to press the pawl against the strip 33. Attached to the outer end ot' the punch 29 is a lever 37 mounted on a pin 3S and having an arm to which a handle 39 is attached for operating the lever manually,

when desired. A lever 40 mounted on the pin stl makes connection between the plunger "2G and the lever 3T, one end ot' the lever 40 being provided with an abutting surface #l2 which engages the lead 28 ot the plunger and lthe other end of this lever Ll0 being provided with a portion 43 which engages a corresponding abutment 4st on the lever 3?.

iVith this construction it is obvious that whenever pressure is applied to the rail bonding mechanism, as shown in Fig. 5, the same pressure will be given to the plunger 2G which, acting on the lever 40, will act. on the lever 3T producing a pressure on the punch :29. If the strip is inserted in the slot 32 below the punch, the punch will be held in place until sutiicient pressure is applied to the plunger 2G to indent the material or to perforate it. The pressure required to pei-:torate the strip 33 may be determined betcrehand so that as soon as the strip is perforated by the punch the operator will know that suticieut pressure is applied to the bonding mechanism. This will become evident to the operator because when the punch perforates the strip the handle attached to the punch or that ot' the compressor, or both handles will make a sudden jump or movement. rEhe operator then releases the pressure by means of the valve land by operating tne handle 39 restores both the plungel 2G and the punch :29 to their previous positions whereupon the strip 33 is moved to bring an un perforated portion opposite the punch, as shown in Fig. 3, whereupon the operation just described is repeated. The strip 33 is pressed in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 so that as soon as the pawl is caused to ride up out of one of the perforations in the strip it. will pass directly into the perforation just made, when the strip is moved. W hen the opposite edge of this perforation reaches the pawl 35 it is stopped thereby and the strip is in position for the next operation of the punch.

in actual use the operator of this device is provided with sutiicient rail bonds for a days work, for example, and a strip ol metal ribbon sutticient to make enough records to cover the days werk. By proper operation the metal strip records the number of bonds actually installed by the operator and the device insures that the proper pressure has been applied to each bond. As a means of identifying the strips, they may be marked in a manner known or unknown to the operator, to prevent him from substituting strips that are not standard and from deceiving the oiiicials as to the impressions or bonds actually installed.

A slightly different application of the invention is shown in Fig. 6 in which the plunger S), as shown at one side of the rail in Fig. 5, is employed. On the other side of the rail a bushing l5 is provided in which a plunger 46 is movable. This plunger is provided with a marking tip l? and opposite the plunger is a die 48. Between the bushing 45 and the die 4S is a space of suliicient width to ccntain a member 49 olt considerable. thickness. When pressure is applied to this bonding device the plunger 4:6 is pressed into the member 49 with the same pressure exerted on the other side of the rail by the fluid under pressure and the marking tip l? is pressed into or through the material 49. The impression of the marking tip or the hole is made in the strip or slug 4.9 which must be made very thick in order to withstand the heavy direct pressure ot' the bonding mechanism. rl`he operator can tell that the requisite pressure has been applied to the rail bond by the drcree ot' impression made by the marking tip in the member 4l) or by the marking tip having entirely punched throrgh the member i9.

What I claim is:

1.'I`he combination with variable fluid pressure applying means; of means, including a punch, actuated by the same pressure, and a movable strip of perforable material opposing the pressure and directly engaged by the punch and perforated by it when sut'- iicient pressure is applied by the punch, tor recording the applications of sul'licient pressure of said pressure applying means.

Q. In a device for recording the application of a variable iluid pressure, a punch actuated by the applied pressure, and a movable strip of perforable material which is directly engaged by the punch and perforated by it only when sutlicient pressure is applied.

3. In a device for recording a predetermined pressure, the combination of a fluid pressure operated member actuated by va riable pressure, a punch, a mechanical pressure reducing connection between said member and the punch, and perforable material opposing the pressure of and directly engaged by the punch and perforated by it when a predetermined pressure is applied.

4. In a device for indicating and recording a predetermined pressure, the combination with a member actuated by Huid under pressure, a punch, a piece of material adapted to be engaged by the punch and opposing pressure applied thereto, and means for transferring the movement of the said member to the punch to perfor-ate the said material when a predetermined fluid pressure is applied to said member.

5. In a pressure indicating and recording device, the combination with a member actuated by tluid pressure, a punch, a strip of material engaged by the punch, a mechanical connection between the said member and the punch for permitting motion to the perforating strip, and means for engaging the perforations of the strip to hold it in place for the next perforation by the punch.

6. The combination with means for applying fluid pressure, of a device for indicating and recording a predetermined pressure thereof comprising a movable member actuated by fluid under pressure, and material directly engaged by and opposing pressure applied to said member and distinctly marked thereby when. a predetermined pressure is applied to the said member.

7. In a. fluid pressure indicating and recording device, the combination with a member actuated by fluid under pressure, ot' a punch, a piece of material adapted to be normallv engaged by the punch and opposing pressure applied thereto, a lever connected to the punch, and another lever interposed between the lirst said lever and the member for transmitting motion to the first named lever and adapted to move the punch to distinctly mark the said material when a predetermined pressure is applied to the said member.

8. In a device for indicating and recording a predetermined Huid pressure, the combination with a member actuated by {iuid under pressure, a punch, a strip of material engaged by the punch, connecting levers between tlie member and the punch for transmitting motion thereto whereby a distinguishing mark is made on the strip by the punch when a predetermined pressure is applied to saidmember, and a spring-pressed pawl adapted to engage each distinguishing mark in the said strip to hold the strip in place for the next distinguishing mark.

9. In a device for indicating and recording a predetermined fluid pressure, the combination with a member actuated by luid under pressure, a punch, a strip of material engaged by the punch, connecting levers between the said member and the punch for transmitting motion to the punch when a` predetermined pressure is applied to said member for distinctively marking the said strip, and a handle in connection with one of the levers for withdrawing the punch and restoring the said member to their initial positions.

l0. The combination with Huid pressure applying means, of a pressure actuated punch, and a movable piece of thin material engaged by the punch and perforated by it when a predetermined pressure is applied, the perforations recording the number ot' applications of such pressure.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence ot' two subscribing witnesses, on this 28th day of February, A. D. 1916.

JOHN ROWLAND BROWN.

Witnesses:

G. L. BUCHAN, B. A. IHiLLIPs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patenti Washington, D. C. 

